Magnitude 7.5 Quake Strikes Off Pacific Ocean's Solomon Islands

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck off the coast of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, triggering a tsunami warning in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.7 was shallow, only 12.4 miles below the seabed, and centered 73 miles south of Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands, which have been racked by a series of strong quakes in recent days.

The Tsunami Warning Center said it was not yet known whether a tsunami had actually been generated but a warning was in effect in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.